Instant Pot Apple Butter (No Peel!)

For years and years my grandfather made the best apple sauce! It was thick and chunky and full of cinnamon. It was so full of cinnamon that the whole thing was almost completely brown, instead of a light golden color. The flavor in this Instant Pot Apple Butter reminds me a lot of that homemade applesauce.

After I got my Instant Pot, I realized how amazing it was at making jams. Instant Pot Blueberry jam, Instant Pot Strawberry jam, and Instant Pot Peach jam can be made in the Instant Pot in a fraction of the time that you would make it on the stove. You won't go back to stovetop jam after you try it in the Instant Pot!

What is Apple Butter?

Apple butter is a spread made with apples that are cooked until they caramelize into a spreadable consistency. Most recipes are infused with warm spices, too.

This homemade apple butter recipe has the same bold flavor and is super easy to make! You don't even need to peel the apples. Just combine everything in the pressure cooker, and let it do the hard work. Prep a big batch on Sunday to enjoy with your breakfasts throughout the week!

Why This Apple Butter Is Great!

• No need to peel the apples! That's right! Don't peel! The pressure from the Instant Pot will cook the apple peels and make them disintegrate into the apple butter.
• It's full of warm, Fall spices! Cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and vanilla. Does it get cozier?
• The Instant Pot does all the hard work! Add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure. Then blend it up and you're done!
• It's a great meal prep recipe! Make this on a Sunday and have it on your breakfast pastries throughout the week. It keeps beautifully in the refrigerator!

Ingredients You'll Need

With no artificial sweeteners or unnecessary ingredients, you only need a few items for this recipe! 

• Apples. You'll need 3 pounds of apples, which comes out to about 10 small apples or 6 large apples. You can use your favorite apples here! Mine are Gala. So, that is what I used.
• Maple syrup. You'll want to use pure maple syrup here. Don't use the fake stuff, when it comes to maple syrup, pure is the way to go!
• Salt. Seems weird right? Salt in a sweet spread? It's necessary! It counterbalances the sweetness of the apples and maple syrup. Don't skip the salt!
• Flavor enhancers. Vanilla extract, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice are my fall spices of choice.
• Apple cider. To intensify the apple flavor and prevent the Instant Pot from giving you the "burn" warning.

See printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.

What Types of Apples Should I Use?

Gala are best, but Fuji are a great substitute. Macintosh or Golden Delicious are other varieties that could be made into apple butter. My rule of thumb is if I am going to eat it straight out of the refrigerator, I will use it to make apple butter or apple sauce.

Granny Smiths aren't great for apple butter as they are too tart and don't break down as easily as other apples.

This recipe is also a great way to use up whatever type of apples you have in your refrigerator. You can use a mixture of apples. If the grocery store has tart apples or sweet apples, use a mixture of both in this delicious apple butter!

Let's Make This Instant Pot Apple Butter

Step 1: Wash the apples and cut them into pieces. Add the apples and the rest of the ingredients to the bowl of the Instant Pot.
Step 2: Cover and seal the Instant Pot. Set the pressure to "HIGH" for 15 minutes. Once the cooking is done, allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for another 15 minutes.

Step 3: After the pressure has released, carefully open the lid, and place an immersion blender in the Instant Pot. Blend the mixture carefully to create smooth apple butter. It's very hot at this stage!
Step 4: Serve right away, or transfer it to an airtight container for later.

Tips and Tricks

• No apple cider? A cup of water or apple juice can be used instead. You'll need some sort of liquid, or the Instant Pot will give you a burn warning and won't cook.
• Don't have maple syrup on hand? Honey, granulated sugar, or brown sugar are all perfect substitutes for maple syrup. Adjust the amount included, depending on what you use and how sweet you prefer your apple butter.
• This pressure cooker apple butter takes about 40 minutes from start to finish to make. The Instant Pot takes 10-15 minutes to build up enough pressure to cook the apples. Then, it will cook for 15 minutes and will release the remaining pressure for another 15 minutes.
• The apple butter will thicken as it cools. When the apple butter is hot and freshly pureed, it will look too watery. As it cools, the sugars and natural pectin thicken to a perfect spreadable consistency.
• Other optional add-ins - A squeeze of lemon juice once pureed brings out the brightness of the flavors. Or, a teaspoon of freshly grated ginger ups the spice of the apple butter a little more.

What To Serve Apple Butter With

Think of apple butter like an apple jam, and use it the same way you would use a berry jam. I love to use it on a buttered  Sourdough bagel, Sourdough scone, and toasted sourdough English muffins. 

Or, use it’s great as a topping for oatmeal, Instant Pot yogurt, applesauce pancakes, or apple cinnamon waffles. You can also enjoy it as a dessert with vanilla ice cream or over apple pie a la mode!

Apple butter can be enjoyed chilled or at room temperature.

Making Apple Butter Without An Instant Pot

If you don't have an Instant Pot you can still make this apple butter. It will take a little longer, but you can still do it!

Slow Cooker Version - Add all the ingredients to a slow cooker, and cook it on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. After the cook time is up, blend the apple butter with an immersion blender or high-speed blender.

In a Dutch Oven - Place all the ingredients in a large Dutch Oven, and place it on the stove on medium-low heat. Cook the apples for two hours or until they are completely soft. Stir occasionally to make sure the apples and spices do not stick to the bottom of the pot and burn. Blend it all up with an immersion blender when soft.